Mitsubishi Lancer 2009 Review

One of the biggest mistakes a car company can make is to hand its rivals a free hit by vacating the market. In this business where brand loyalty is supreme it can take a long time to play catch up - unless of course you have some serious ammunition to fire back at the opposition.

Mitsubishi only has two serious full-on performance cars, the awesome Lancer Evolution MR SST ($72,190) and the slightly less potent but still full-on Evolution ($59,990).

But missing in action has been a more affordable road warrior in the sub $50,000 bracket to slot in under the Evo twins — a model which could go head to head with Subaru's WRX or Ford's Focus XR5.

Enter the Lancer Ralliart and Mitsubishi is back in the game with plenty of bang for the buck. It's essentially a detuned Evo and priced at $42,990 for both sedan and sportsback.

Mitsubishi has been quite clever here, borrowing many of the Evo's go-faster bits but giving the Ralliart a more comfortable ride to broaden its appeal.

Power comes from a detuned 2-litre four cylinder with single scroll turbo as against the Evo's twin-scroll. It also shares in part the active differential all-wheel drive system which is switchable to suit road, gravel or snow conditions, a twin-clutch transmission and alloy bonnet to reduce weight.

There's 177Kw on tap at 6000 revs (down by 50kW on the Evo) and a fist full of 343Nm torque (down 23Nm) with little in the way of turbo lag. While not as potent at the Evo, the Ralliart's performance nevertheless is surprisingly surefooted and quick on and off road.

But you need to get the Ralliart above 2000 revs before that power comes into play. Peak torque is on tap from 2500 to 4750rpm, just where you need it for swift overtaking or tackling twisty mountain roads.

The downside: power comes at a price in the form of thirsty fuel consumption.

Given a choice, in my book the sportback looks better than the more practical sedan but the hatch's rear visibility is limited by the heavy C-pillar. The cabin will fit four adults in comfort, even the back seat; the front buckets offering excellent support.

The dressed in black cabin styling also gets a tick of approval, especially the instruments, although I am still coming to grips with the exterior lines, particularly the elongated nose with what Mitsubishi describes as a jet fighter grille

The suspension set up is softer than the Evo so there's a bit more body roll and pitching in the twisty stuff. But the car is far more liveable and quieter on a day to day basis, unless you like, of course, the Evo's annoying bone jarring ride.

The six-speed twin clutch manual-auto gearbox is also borrowed from the Evo with slightly modified top end ratios to provide better fuel consumption. It's better than the VW DSG setup but isn't as slick as the PDK system from Porsche although it still offers seamless gear changes. It has two modes — sport and normal — but not the track-ready Super Sport mode featured in the Evo.

The shift paddles on the steering wheel are cumbersome to operate and I dislike the invasive nature of the transmission in auto mode by holding the car in too lower gear descending hills. Flicking the paddle shift takes it back to manual mode solves the problem.

So, is it as good as an Evo? No, but it comes so close. You can have just as much fun and the Ralliart version for $16,000 less and it's easier to drive.

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Snapshot

Price: $43,890, sedan or sportback

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Power: 2-litre in-line 4, 177kW @6000rpm, 343Nm @2500-4750rpm

Transmission: Twin-clutch, six-speed manual/auto.

Rivals: Golf Gti, Ford Focus XR5, Subaru WRX